• The 88-inch LG 8K OLED TV is going up for pre-order in South Korea this week.
• Sales are set to kick off in North America and Europe in the third quarter of 2019.
• The TV costs a staggering $42,250, with pre-orders kicking off at $33,800.
LG is kicking off pre-orders of the world's first 8K OLED TV, the 88Z9 . The 88-inch TV is going on pre-order in LG's home market of South Korea, and it will make its way to North America and Europe sometime in Q3 2019. LG says that the 88-inch panel is the largest OLED TV it has made to date, with the 8K Ultra HD resolution (7680 x 4320) offering four times the amount of pixels as a 4K TV.
Before you get too excited though, you should know the price. LG revealed to The Verge that the 88Z9 will retail for 50 million won, which is just over $42,500. Those pre-ordering the TV will be able to pick it up for 40 million won, which is $33,800. On the bright side, all pre-orders come with a free air purifier. LG is also going to offer a 75-inch model in the U.S. that should be attainable by regular humans.
You're obviously paying a premium just for the fact that this is the first 8K OLED TV in the market, and right now there's no content available for the platform. But LG says that its second-generation Alpha 9 8K processor will be able to upscale 4K and 1080p content :
The superior performance of LG's 8K OLED panel is enhanced by the company's second- generation α (Alpha) 9 Gen 2 8K intelligent processor. The processor elevates picture and sound quality with deep learning technology and access to an extensive database of visual information. This allows the chip to optimize content by recognizing source quality and implementing the best algorithm guaranteeing stunningly real images.
With the α9 Gen 2 8K processor, LG's 8K 88-inch 8K OLED TV boasts enhanced processing capabilities with effective 8K upscaling and improved noise reduction to 6-steps from 4-steps in the 4K version, resulting in the most life-like 8K picture when upgrading from 4K (3,840 x 2,160) or 2K (1,920 x 1,080) content. The processor also analyzes ambient conditions to achieve the perfect level of screen brightness.
LG is also leveraging an "intelligent algorithm" to up-mix stereo sound to virtual 5.1 surround sound, and the TV also offers Dolby Atmos. And when 8K content does go live, you'll be able to enjoy it at a smooth 60fps. LG also says that the TV will come with Google Assistant and Alexa in select markets.
